Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The reception of Kunsthotel Fuchspalast doubles as the
tourist office
(
4660-0;
10am-4pm)
.
www.stveit.com
; Hauptplatz 23;
Getting There & Away
St Veit is 33km south of Friesach and 20km north of Klagenfurt. Two-hourly express
trains run to Villach (€12, 37 minutes), stopping at Klagenfurt (€3.80, 12 minutes). There
are no left-luggage lockers at the station.
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Burg Hochosterwitz
This fairy-tale fortress (it claims to be the inspiration for the castle in
Sleeping Beauty
)
drapes itself around the slopes of a hill, with 14 gate towers on the path up to the final
bastion. These were built between 1570 and 1586 by its former owner, Georg Kheven-
hüller, to ward off invading Turks. A
Burgführer
information booklet (in English; €4)
outlines the different challenges presented to attackers by each gate - some have spikes
embedded in them, which could be dropped straight through unwary invaders passing un-
derneath. The
castle
(
www.burg-hochosterwitz.com
;
adult/child incl tour €12/8; 9am-6pm Palm Sunday-Oct;
)
has a museum featuring the suit of armour of one Burghauptmann Schenk, who
measured 225cm at the tender age of 16.
Getting There & Away
Regional trains on the St Veit-Friesach route stop at Launsdorf Hochosterwitz station, a
3km walk from the car park and the first gate, where a lift (€6) ascends to the castle.
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Maria Saal
04223 / POP 3830
Maria Saal, a small town perched on a fortified hill 10km north of Klagenfurt, is easily
visited on an excursion from Klagenfurt or St Veit. Its
Pilgrimage Church
(Domplatz 1; dawn-
dusk)
was built in the early 15th century from volcanic stone, some of it filched from a
